Acne and Exercise

Moderate exercise is actually good for your skin. It helps you maintain a healthy body and manage your stress levels, too. If you find your acne is aggravated by regular exercise, then you may want to examine your routine. What do you wear? Where do you go? How hard do you work? Exercise-related acne is usually caused by something you put on your body rather something you do with it. Remove these outside factors, and you may put an end to your workout breakouts. Here are just a few things to watch for.

Acne & Exercise - Make-up

When exercising, wear as little make-up as possible. Even oil-free and non-comedogenic (non-pore-clogging) cosmetics can clog pores if worn during heavy exercise. When you’re done working out, wash as soon as possible.

Acne & Exercise - Sunscreen

If your regimen takes you outdoors, always wear sunscreen. While acne may improve slightly after brief periods in the sun, studies show that prolonged exposure actually promotes comedones (clogged pores) and, of course, sun damage. Some kinds of acne medication make skin more sensitive to the sun, so sunscreen is even more important. When choosing a sunscreen, look for products that are oil-free and have a protection factor of at least SPF 15 for both UVA and UVB rays. Like make-up, sunscreen can travel across the skin’s surface and lodge in the pores — so wash immediately after working out.

Acne & Exercise - Clothing

If you’re prone to body acne, avoid garments made exclusively with lycra or nylon. Why? Some synthetic fabrics can trap the heat and moisture against your skin, creating a fertile breeding ground for the bacteria that contribute to acne. For moderate exercise, your best bet is lightweight, loose-fitting cotton, or a lycra-cotton blend. Natural fabrics allow the skin to breathe, and loose garments are less likely to cause friction. If you’re exercising vigorously and working up a good sweat, however, you may want to try some of the new fabrics designed to wick moisture away from your skin.

Acne & Exercise - Equipment

Some people are more likely to get acne or have their lesions aggravated in the areas affected by sports equipment. The best defense against friction-related breakouts is a good fit — make sure your helmet doesn’t slide around on your forehead, or your wetsuit isn’t too tight under the arms. You can also curb equipment-triggered breakouts by lining your helmet with a layer of soft, washable cotton fabric; it's a great use for those old t-shirts, too. And no matter what the sport, it’s always a good idea to keep your equipment clean and dry when not in use.

Acne & Exercise - Moisture

Mom was right: You should get out of those wet clothes! No matter how you get your exercise — treadmill, trail, tennis court, or whatever — don’t sit around in your sweaty clothes or wet bathing suit when you’re done. If you can, shower off immediately and change into dry clothes before driving home. If this isn’t possible, change into dry clothes and wipe down as well as you can. When toweling sweat off your face, always use a clean towel, and blot gently rather than wipe. Vigorous wiping can irritate your skin, driving make-up and sunscreen deeper into the pores.

Acne & Exercise - Showering

Again, it’s best to shower immediately after working out. You may want to use a medicated exfoliant cleanser, but always be gentle with your skin. Scrubbing harder isn’t going to make you any cleaner, or make your acne go away — and it may actually irritate existing lesions or promote the development of new ones. If you can't shower right away, you can still curb breakouts by wiping down with medicated pads; keep a few in your gym bag just in case.

So keep up the good work! A healthy exercise program is an integral part of your overall health; and a healthy body is more likely to have healthy skin. Just keep an eye on the various factors that accompany your regimen, and try to remove the acne triggers — you’ll be on your way to breakout-free workouts.

For more information visit:
www.acnezine.com

Best Acne Treatments - Exposed

If you’re looking for the best acne treatments, keep in mind that there are far too many acne cure products available on the market today and most of these acne treatments are simply not aimed at curing your acne. When it comes to the best acne treatment, the question one should ask is not whether the acne product at question is the most famous (endorsed by celebrities or dermatologists) or whether it is quick or easy to apply. By definition, when it comes to the best treatment for acne, one should consider one and only one factor: can it really cure acne?

While many companies endorse Proactiv as the best acne treatment or Accutane as an even better and more effective alternative, I can tell right off the bat, and after more than 10 years of research and personal experience with the ALL acne treatments from all shapes and sizes, that Proactive or any acne product for that matter that focuses on external acne skin care, regardless of how aggressively it is marketed and promoted using infomercials, magazine articles, and news stories is not the answer to your acne.

Proactiv (an over the counter containing a renewing cleanser, revitalizing toner, and repairing lotion), in the vast majority of cases will not cure acne since it is aimed at treating the symptoms of acne and not fixing the internal problem that causes acne.

Accutane is another choice and a different story. While Accutane, a very strong conventional acne medication may work for severe cases of acne, the results in most cases are short term and Accutane side effects can be very dangerous and sometimes irreversible.

You can also test natural alternatives as part of your quest for the best acne treatments. You can use essential oils for example. The best acne treatment essential oils are: Tea Tree Oil, Bergamot Oil, Clove Oil, Lavender Oil, and Rosewood Oil. You can also alter your diet and conduct a food allergy test using a pulse test or a blood test. Bear in mind that although natural acne treatments are in most cases a safe choice, that doesn’t always mean more the treatment would be more effective.

To summarize, the best acne treatments are not the most popular, the easiest to apply, the most expensive, the cheapest or the all-natural treatments. The best acne treatments are first and foremost the once that work by tackling the internal cause of acne and by neutralizing the internal environment that encourage acne formation in the first place. It is therefore crucial to be familiar with the best treatments for acne and not waste time and money using product or approaches that work short term or do not work at all.

Herbal Acne Treatments

Herbal acne treatments work but only temporary and in conjunction with other acne cures

Can herbal acne treatments really cure your acne? Discover the insider truth about herbal acne remedies learned through 7 years of research that no dermatologist, naturopath or herbal expert will ever tell you.

Herbal acne treatments: introduction to herbs

Herbs, not only for the treatment of acne have been used for medicinal purposes, to promote energy, love, birth and spirituality from the time of recorded history. Herbal medicines are known for their gentle and gradual ways of healing, safety use and potent qualities.

Herbs are in fact concentrated foods, filled with potent nutrients not always available from the foods that we eat. Herbs can work with your body to balance or temporary rebalance your body for the purpose of helping your system to gradually heal itself. Herbs can also be used to treat not only the symptoms of a disease like acne, but also the root cause of a problem.

I have personally tested dozens of herbal acne treatments, with different levels of potency, with different individuals who had different types of acne and different levels of severity and my conclusions are unanimous: herbal acne treatments, if chosen and taken correctly, actually work and help your body to gradually heal itself from acne. However, herbal acne treatments work short-term and only if combined with other protocols aimed at tackling all acne contributing factors. Here’s why:

Herbal acne treatments: how do they work to cure acne?

Not all herbs are alike or function the same. Herbs work differently and function at a different pace and level within each individual. Herbs are filled with concentrated nutrients and work through your glands to nourish your body and help it produce hormones, tone, nourish, cleanse, regulate and heal itself. And because herbs work with your body, against it like conventional cane treatments (drugs and steroids for example), and because herbs are aimed to tackle the cause of a disease, not the symptoms, herbs work gradually and slowly.

Herbs work in combination, rather than separately since each herb can tackle other disease-contributing factor and if herbs are taken with the correct foods (like fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains) they function more effectively.

Like with any natural treatment that addresses the root cause of a condition like acne, herbal acne treatments will lead to a temporary healing crisis, when things become worse before they get better. By intensively stimulating your body to detoxify, for example, herbs will cause you liver to release an abundance of congested toxins (disease poisons are released into the bloodstream), a temporary condition which can get your body into a more aggravated state of imbalance. This is effective because your body has the natural tendency to restore things into balance and this condition can actually encourage your body even further to return to homeostasis and thus work harder to heal itself.

Herbal treatments for acne if taken in a form of blend or tincture can be very effective, to purify the blood from congested toxins, to help balance hormonal activity, to boost liver function 9helping your liver to expel excess hormones out of your body, and release toxins), to fight Candida and other fungal forms that stress your elimination organs and aggravate your acne.

The only problem is that herbal acne treatments work temporarily.

Why herbal acne treatments work temporarily

Although herbs effectively pave the way for the body to do its own work, by breaking up toxins, cleansing and nourishing, and fighting harmful organisms, medicinal herbs no matter how potent they may be will NEVER cure your acne.

Here are two reasons why:

1.As you already know, to permanently cure acne, in addition to the cleansing protocols, lifestyle optimization and hormonal balancing, you must also rebuild your main organs of elimination. Herbs will effectively SUPPORT these processes but they are by no means a substitute.

For example: if you suffer, like most acne sufferers, from significant toxic blockage in your system, cleansing herbs no matter how powerful, will NEVER be able to replace an effective thorough liver and blood cleansing protocols. In the same way a mechanical problem in your car could never be properly fixed using a fuel or an oil change.

2.Although some herbs like Echinacea (known to reduce inflammation and promote healing) or aloe vera (has excellent antibacterial and astringent properties) can be taken long term, most herbs by the nature of which they work in your body should NOT be taken through long periods of time but periodically. Why? because most herbs like dandelion for example, work in cycles: they boost the function of a certain organ temporarily (make it perform in high gear, a good but dangerous function if done through long periods of time) and then they stop working. That’s their nature.

Another reason why herbs work short term is because of the intense healing crisis herbs create in your system. Your body will work harder to cleanse and regulate itself and thus eventually and in a way neutralize the potency of the herbs.

Herbal acne treatments only work in combination with other protocols to cure acne

There are dozens of herbs specifically designed to help and reduce acne symptoms. There are herbs, which have been proven to be highly effective “cleansing” agents. Some herbs dramatically boost various organ systems, help balance your hormonal activity, kill fungus creatures and parasites and help stimulate and strengthen your liver and purify your blood. All of which will have dramatic impact on your acne condition.

However, by excessively stimulating your liver to cleanse and expel toxins and used hormones out of your body, these herbs aimed at treating your acne will eventually exhaust your liver and the temporary positive effect over your acne will gradually demise.

A better alternative to this, is to first rebuild and strengthen your liver so it could release toxins and expel used hormones constantly even after the herbs have provided their ‘temporary boost”.

Secondly, since hormonal imbalance and congested blood toxins results from several internal and external factors, obviously hormonal balancing and toxic cleansing being complex and delicate processes require the implementation of several OTHER protocols, beside building a stronger liver, to be successfully completed.

Conclusion: an effective acne treatment must use herbs in COMBINATION with other cleansing and hormonal balancing protocols while making sure they are taken in cycles (such as two to three weeks on and two weeks off).

Acne Treatment with Topical Antibiotics

by C.D. Mohatta

Acne infection is commonly treated with topical antibiotics. Topical antibiotics kill the bacteria P. acnes and also help keep the gland unblocked. As topical antibiotics are safer to use for a long period compared to oral antibiotics, they are preferred for moderately infected acne. The common antibiotics used topically are- Tetracycline, Erythromycin, Metronidazole and Clindamycin. Clindamycin is the most popular antibiotic for topical application. Before we discuss about them individually, let us first know more about the cause of acne.

The main reasons of acne formation are

- Blocked pore because of excess hormonal activity and uneven shedding of dead skin cells that block the sebaceous gland.

- Excess production of sebum is a main cause of acne. This excess sebum gets blocked inside and is infected causing acne.

- When sebum gets filled and blocked in the gland, the bacteria P. acnes attacks the sebum and multiplies inside the gland. This bacterium infects the gland and creates inflammation.

Topical antibiotics are used to kill this bacteria P. acnes. When this bacterium is removed the infection reduces and the inflammation also reduces. The lesion stops spreading inside the deeper skin and scarring is reduced. If the bacteria is allowed unchecked it can cause further growth of infection and cause scars. Let us discuss the antibiotics used.

Clindamycin-

This is a very good antibiotic for acne. Oral Clindamycin may cause colitis; therefore it is preferably used topically. It is available as lotion, gel, cream etc and should be applied twice to the acne-affected skin. If you have any history of antibiotic induced colitis or any other colitis, do not use this. You need to discuss this with your doctor before you begin using Clindamycin.

Tetracycline-

Tetracycline may cause allergic reactions and also may turn the skin yellow. It is not commonly used as a topical antibiotic for acne.

Erythromycin-

Erythromycin is very popular as a topical antibiotic. It is well tolerated and causes very few side effects when used topically. It is also safe for pregnant women.

Metronidazole-

Metronidazole formulation is used for rosacea and acne caused during rosacea. It is not commonly used for Acne Vulgaris.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.

Acne Treatment

Acne Treatment: 7 Things You Should Never Do To Your skin When You Have Acne

by Mike Walden
You skin is the largest organ in your body. Besides helping the body in the process of toxic elimination (One of the main acne contributing factors), it also protects your body against temperature changes, and from harmful invaders.

By working with your skin and not against it you pave the way to an enhanced healing of the skin. Your skin will look and feel better; it will become more even toned and vibrant.

On the other hand, by constantly doing the following, you are weakening the natural protecting capabilities of your skin, you are slowing the healing process of your skin, and are making your skin look bad and making your acne worse:

1. Smoking
Besides lung cancer, heart disease and early aging of your skin (e.g. wrinkles), smoking causes the contraction of the small capillaries and blood vessels of the skin, thus depriving your skin from the essential oxygen I needs for the creation and maintenance of healthy cells.

2. Using Topical Steroids
Over the counter or prescription cortisone based creams, especially the potent types, can eventually thin your skin and worsen your acne condition in the long run in addition to the irritation, redness and other side effects steroid creams can cause. Moreover, topicals by definition address the symptoms of acne (inflammation, itching, puss), they do not treat the root cause of the disease. Nevertheless, taking care of your skin externally is highly recommended but should be performed gently using pure natural ingredients such as diluted tea tree oil.

3. Taking Antibiotics
Antibiotic treatments like tetracycline aggravate your acne in the long run and also severely damage your internal system in the process. Antibiotics destroy all the bacteria in your system including the good, probiotic bacteria like acidophilus that have many essential qualities that promote clear skin. One of these qualities is the ability to protect your digestive tract from parasites and fungus (that constantly stress and damage your liver, one of the most important organs responsible for the healing process of your skin).

4. Shaving with Four-In-One Razor blades
Never use these four-in-one razor blades when shaving especially if you have large bumps and painful cysts. The reason is that blades that guarantee the “closest shave” will cause severe irritation and will damage your skin. Always use a single blade when having “live” acne.

5. Picking Your Skin (popping and squeezing included)
Never, never and ever touch, pick or squeeze your blemishes, regardless of how temping and “safe” it may seem. By doing this unprofessionally, you make your acne worse by aggravating your existing inflammation and pushing the puss deeper and wider into the skin. There are in fact very effective and safe ways of dealing with small whiteheads or blackheads but I would strongly recommend leaving that to the professionals if you care for your skin and wish to prevent further scarring.

6. Taking excessive amounts of Vitamin A
Vitamin A from natural sources (green leafy vegetables and beta carotene fruit and veggies) and in small quantities can significantly enhance the healing process of your skin but when taken excessively it can seriously damage your liver and cause severe health problems and side effects.

7.Use over the counters for your Rosacea
That one is a no-brainer. Taking over the counters that by definition make your skin red and irritating is definitely not something you want to do when surfeiting from rosacea. If you suffer from rosacea, always consult your dermatologist prior to applying over the counters on your already inflamed and highly sensitive skin.

Mike Walden is a certified nutritionist, independent medical researcher, natural health consultant and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Acne No More- Open The Door To An Acne Free Life." Mike has written dozens of holistic health articles and has been featured in ezines and print magazines, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide.

For information on Mike's Holistic Clear Skin program - Click HERE

Acne Treatment

Quick Acne Treatments Exposed : The Truth Behind Miracle Acne Cures

by Mike Walden

Can acne be cured quickly and without effort? Is there really a revolutionary acne treatment overlooked by the medical establishment that wipes off acne in days? Life long acne researcher and former sufferer Mike Walden uncovers the truth behind common miracle acne treatments.

The difference between simple and easy

If someone has mild to moderate acne that is uncommonly triggered by allergy to certain foods, then they can often begin to clear their acne very quickly and easily, relative to their previous disappointing results. All they have to do is improve their nutrition by eliminating these acne-aggravating foods and a quantum leap can often be made.

With that distinction made, let me state unequivocally that achieving permanent clear skin is never really "easy". There is always effort and discipline involved, as there is with any worthwhile achievement. Endlessly searching for an easier way, a fairy tale quick fix, a miracle cure, a holy grail, is a misguided quest and it will lead you nowhere.

Curing acne is very simple, but for most people it is not easy. There's a big difference between simple and easy: "Simple" means the process is not complicated - if you do x and y you'll get the desired result. "Easy" implies that something can be done with little or no effort. Anyone who tells you they've discovered an "easy" or "very quick" way to clear acne is simply and boldly lying.

You can only reap what you sow

Achieving lasting clear skin requires two things:

1) You must be willing to put some effort

2) You must be patient

The problem with many people is that they are terrified from anything that appears to involve some work. They’re always looking for short cuts. As soon as they see something that promises to cure their acne "quickly," "easily," "effortlessly," "while they sleep," and so on, they whip out their wallets and take the bait.

Make no mistake; people who are prone to acne and have beautiful clear skin, especially celebrities and famous models, have worked very hard to get where they are. Many famous people with acne prone skin who now have flawless complexions have made a sacrifice to get there.

It's an absolute law of the universe that you can't get something for nothing. Your acne will fade away and your skin will become clear and glowing in direct proportion to the amount of effort you put in. You can only reap what you sow.

The 5 crucial components to an effective clear skin plan

An effective clear skin program must have five crucial components:

1. Internal and external cleansing

2. Internal strengthening and rejuvenating

3. Hormonal balancing

4. Lifestyle optimization

5. Goal setting and motivation

Except for those with acne triggered by allergies to food, it‘s extremely difficult (if not impossible) for most people to achieve permanent clear skin in days and without effort.

So there you have it. You have a solution. It's simple (just follow the steps) but it's not always easy. From here you decide what to do with your acne and your health. Like everything, in the end, it all comes down to your choices.

Mike Walden is a certified nutritionist, independent medical researcher, natural health consultant and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Acne No More- Open The Door To An Acne Free Life." Mike has written dozens of holistic health articles and has been featured in ezines and print magazines, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide.

For further information about Mike Walden’s acne cure book
visit: Acne No More

For further information about acne treatments
visit: Acne Treatments

Acne Treatment

Welcome to my acne treatment blog. Here you will learn all about acne treatment. Discover the truth about acne treatments. Learn more about what products work.

Introduction to several forms of acne and some available treatments.

Your one stop source for acne treatment, acne medicine, acne product, acne control, acne solution, adult acne, acne information and acne diagnosis.

Acne Treatment